Turns out, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick slowed down Trump's push to stop NVIDIA chips from ending up in China, even after Trump authorized a crackdown on companies suspected of diverting the chips for the third time this year.
Before moving ahead, Trump checked in with Elon Musk, which shows just how big a deal this tech issue is at the highest level.
Officials pressed Lutnick to delay controls
At a key meeting on Thursday, top officials pressed Lutnick about holding back on stricter export controls.
Even though he seemed to agree with the plan, Lutnick wanted to double-check with Trump before acting.
This back-and-forth highlights how tough it can be to get everyone on board when it comes to keeping US tech out of China's hands.